Short-handed Bearcats fall to Cougars

By RON WAGNERTimes-News Correspondent

Published: Friday, August 22, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, August 23, 2014 at 12:10 a.m.

ASHEVILLE — The Hendersonville-Asheville series is no more, at least for a while. First-year Bearcat coach Eric Gash made that clear after both teams' season opener on Friday night, and it's hard to blame him.

The homestanding Cougars — widely regarded as the best team in the mountains — toyed with injury-ravaged HHS, outgaining the Bearcats 284-2 in the first half and scoring on their first seven possessions to take a 49-0 third-quarter lead before a combination of a new North Carolina High School Athletic Association mercy rule and Cougar backups allowed Hendersonville to avoid its worst lost in a decade, 49-14.

Starting this season, any time the score reaches a 42-point differential at halftime or any point in the second half, the clock doesn't stop running. In fact, the game could have been terminated had Gash and Asheville coach Danny Wilkins agreed to, but two fourth-quarter Hendersonville touchdowns kept West Henderson's 47-6 rout of HHS in 2006 as the program's worst loss since 2004.

"We knew they were going to pound it, and they did," Gash said. "And coach Wilkins is a class act. It could have been 80-0."

Hendersonville played without seniors Cole Cleary (broken pinkie) and Bradley Schmidt (fractured hip) as well as junior Michael Schmidt (concussion). It's doubtful the Bearcats would have won with them, but without them there was no chance against an Asheville team starting two players with major D-I offers and rolling out size and speed and every position.

Hendersonville had one first down and minus-1 yard rushing in the first half while giving up 192 yards rushing and 10 first downs to Asheville. Reynolds transfer Jave Jones, who was offered by North Carolina after his sophomore season, had 88 yards on just four carries in the first half, including touchdown runs of 25 and 51 yards, while junior Reggie Battle had 46 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries.

Senior quarterback Tevin Salters was 6 for 7 for 92 yards through the air as Asheville moved the ball effortlessly. The Cougars led 35-0 at the break, and despite Wilkins going to a vanilla offense in the third Asheville's first eight plays went for runs of 11, 17, 19, 25, 13, 8, 10 and 25 yards and two more touchdowns.

"Cole and Michael are my starting outside linebackers, and Bradley is the free safety. And Asheville likes to run C-gap, and that's where they were getting the sweeps and the powers," Gash said. "Blake Lyda and Tyler Landrum, they did the best that they could. They played hard. Blake soaking wet is probably a 145, 150 pounds. It's hard to stop Battle and Jones with a kid that size. But man, he fought."

Cleary and Michael Schmidt were Hendersonville's two quarterbacks, forcing Alex "Bud" Williford, a 6-0, 180-pounder, to come up from jayvee and start. Asked if the series, which saw Hendersonville notch its first win ever over Asheville in 2012, 41-30, followed by a competitive 28-14 loss last year, would continue, Gash smiled.

"Uh, probably not," he said. "Being the head coach I get a chance to look at the schedule and remake it, and we're going to step away from Asheville in the first game for a couple of years."

HHS travels to West Henderson, a 28-26 winner over Madison on Friday, next week, while Asheville visits Polk County, which lost 50-20 at Shelby.

<p>ASHEVILLE — The Hendersonville-Asheville series is no more, at least for a while. First-year Bearcat coach Eric Gash made that clear after both teams' season opener on Friday night, and it's hard to blame him.</p><p>The homestanding Cougars — widely regarded as the best team in the mountains — toyed with injury-ravaged HHS, outgaining the Bearcats 284-2 in the first half and scoring on their first seven possessions to take a 49-0 third-quarter lead before a combination of a new North Carolina High School Athletic Association mercy rule and Cougar backups allowed Hendersonville to avoid its worst lost in a decade, 49-14.</p><p>Starting this season, any time the score reaches a 42-point differential at halftime or any point in the second half, the clock doesn't stop running. In fact, the game could have been terminated had Gash and Asheville coach Danny Wilkins agreed to, but two fourth-quarter Hendersonville touchdowns kept West Henderson's 47-6 rout of HHS in 2006 as the program's worst loss since 2004.</p><p>"We knew they were going to pound it, and they did," Gash said. "And coach Wilkins is a class act. It could have been 80-0."</p><p>Hendersonville played without seniors Cole Cleary (broken pinkie) and Bradley Schmidt (fractured hip) as well as junior Michael Schmidt (concussion). It's doubtful the Bearcats would have won with them, but without them there was no chance against an Asheville team starting two players with major D-I offers and rolling out size and speed and every position.</p><p>Hendersonville had one first down and minus-1 yard rushing in the first half while giving up 192 yards rushing and 10 first downs to Asheville. Reynolds transfer Jave Jones, who was offered by North Carolina after his sophomore season, had 88 yards on just four carries in the first half, including touchdown runs of 25 and 51 yards, while junior Reggie Battle had 46 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries.</p><p>Senior quarterback Tevin Salters was 6 for 7 for 92 yards through the air as Asheville moved the ball effortlessly. The Cougars led 35-0 at the break, and despite Wilkins going to a vanilla offense in the third Asheville's first eight plays went for runs of 11, 17, 19, 25, 13, 8, 10 and 25 yards and two more touchdowns.</p><p>"Cole and Michael are my starting outside linebackers, and Bradley is the free safety. And Asheville likes to run C-gap, and that's where they were getting the sweeps and the powers," Gash said. "Blake Lyda and Tyler Landrum, they did the best that they could. They played hard. Blake soaking wet is probably a 145, 150 pounds. It's hard to stop Battle and Jones with a kid that size. But man, he fought."</p><p>Cleary and Michael Schmidt were Hendersonville's two quarterbacks, forcing Alex "Bud" Williford, a 6-0, 180-pounder, to come up from jayvee and start. Asked if the series, which saw Hendersonville notch its first win ever over Asheville in 2012, 41-30, followed by a competitive 28-14 loss last year, would continue, Gash smiled.</p><p>"Uh, probably not," he said. "Being the head coach I get a chance to look at the schedule and remake it, and we're going to step away from Asheville in the first game for a couple of years."</p><p>HHS travels to West Henderson, a 28-26 winner over Madison on Friday, next week, while Asheville visits Polk County, which lost 50-20 at Shelby.</p>